


Miles to Go

by lollipopl



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Holiday Fic Exchange, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 14:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5544128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lollipopl/pseuds/lollipopl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek realized he was hearing a song for the seventh time. He pretty quickly realized two more things: one, the guy next to him had a five-song playlist on repeat, and two, this guy was not head banging, but nodding off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miles to Go

**Author's Note:**

> This was a gift for [inspiringmarion](http://inspiringmarion.tumblr.com/) as part of the Sterek Secret Santa 2k15 (all gifts can be seen [on their tumblr](http://stereksecretsanta.tumblr.com)), now posted here for greater enjoyment. Hope you all have a splendid holiday season!
> 
> Also, I don't think that anyone would, but please don't post this anywhere else without my permission. Thanks!

Derek sighed to himself as he boarded the bus. He should be driving himself home after his first semester of grad school, but no, Cora _had_ to borrow the car last weekend when she came to visit. The car no longer existed once she was done with it.

No, it wasn’t totaled, just gone. Cora’s mage friend at his school had gotten a little too drunk and teleported it who-knows-where. She claimed they were both “very sorry.”

Still, being a grad student aboard “My Bus Home” was degrading. Derek had been sure to arrive punctually, and it paid off as he got a window seat towards the middle of the bus. He settled in with a new book and mentally prepared himself for the five-hour journey. 

A lanky guy with buzzed hair plopped into the seat next to him and offered a head nod as he set his bag in front of him. The guy sat back in his chair with his eyes closed, head-bobbing slightly. He was clearly lost in his music; Derek could hear it through the headphones due to being a werewolf. It didn’t bother him much, and he tuned it out; the bus pulled away from the curb and rumbled on its way.

It was around page 114 that Derek realized he was hearing a song for the seventh time. He pretty quickly realized two more things: one, the guy next to him had a five-song playlist on repeat, and two, this guy was not head banging, but nodding off, neck loose as the bus rattled around. 

Derek managed to make it through the playlist two and a half more times before he started to get twitchy. All attempts to block it out were inexplicably failing. With still three hours to go on the trip, Derek decided something must be done. 

In an effort to figure out how to shut off the music, Derek found himself stuck on the mole-dotted face next to him. The guy couldn’t be older than a sophomore probably, and his buzzed hair was an interesting choice for winter. Who wears two plaid shirts and still puts on a hoodie over them? Derek shook himself to refocus, he needed to find a way to stop the music before he went crazy. Hot Guy wasn’t even listening, he was asleep, so it was totally fine to pause his playlist. Hot Guy shouldn’t be nicknamed Hot Guy in Derek’s head. Hot Guy should be called Bus Guy, and he should get better music taste. 

The headphones didn’t have button controls on them, but they were attached to a phone in his hoodie pocket. Derek took a deep breath and gently reached into the pocket. 

Of course that was when Bus Guy’s heartbeat changed, signifying he had woken up. Derek froze and grimaced as he met the guy’s eyes. 

Bus Guy blinked twice, looked down at Derek’s hand in his pocket, up to Derek’s face, blinked again, and waggled his eyebrows with a smirk. 

Derek coughed and quickly removed his hand, face flushing. He managed to get out, “The playlist is only seven songs,” as a way of an explanation.

Bus Guy just laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. 

“No big deal, big guy! It’s a ridiculous playlist, but my best friend back home made it for me, so it was only fitting for today.”

Derek let out a weak chuckle, and the guy introduced himself as Stiles-it’s-a-nickname-go-with-it, and they continued to talk about music and what was waiting for them back home. Derek noted Stiles never mentioned a significant other, but he did mention an ex-boyfriend he would be avoiding. 

As the bus plodded along, their chat got more and more animated; they even got shushed by the row in front of them. It was solely to be able to talk more quietly that they moved closer together. Eventually, Stiles just grabbed Derek’s hand and held it; they sat like that in relative silence as the miles ticked by. 

Stiles fell asleep again on Derek’s shoulder around hour four. Derek gently nudged him awake when the bus finally slowed.

“Stiles, it’s almost our stop.”

They parted ways with their luggage, a new contact in their phones, and a little more holiday cheer than they started with.

(Derek gave Cora an extra big gift as a thank you for making him take the bus. She kept it a secret for as long as possible that Stiles was the mage who magicked away his car.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [panicatthecostcoo](http://panicatthecostcoo.tumblr.com/) for always encouraging my writing!
> 
> You can find me [on tumblr](http://lollipopl.tumblr.com/).


End file.
